Loki looked around her worridly, her eyes taking in the sight of the long-dead and long-rotting bodies of her kind. She brought a clawed forepaw to her snout, trying to block out the scent. Her scales went a little pale, but she kept from howling in horror.

Barely.

Her wings spread, and she soared over the piles of bodies, a terrible smell wafting upwards from them. She dropped down near the middle, gagging and coughing out acid.

It landed on a skull, and it melted away a few of the teeth before she could try to get it off. She stared at it in mute sorrow, her eyes filling with a salty liquid that she hesitantly decided were tears, and she dropped her head, touching the skull with her snout, before moving on.

She was headed towards the middle of the graveyard, in a kind of pilgrimage. She was trying to find the oldest of the skeletons of her kind. The longest dead of the blacks.

The acid had landed on the skull of a white dragon, so she didn't mind as much as she would have if it had been a black.

It still made her sick though, the smell.

It was making her light-headed, and she stumbled slightly, tripping over her own claws, to land on the ground with a soft thud. She closed her eyes, lay still.

What would it of been like, to lie here, awaiting your own death? She wondered to herself, still not moving. ...Must of been terrible...

Her body shook, and more tears came into her eyes, and they spilled out, down her scaled face.

*Trodding through the gross of bones, Kore wondered how such a race such as the dragon all come by here for their death. His hand raised up to his chin as he rubbed it softly.--Would it be right to defile this sacred place...--He then decided against it for if word spread around that he had his hands on a bone dragon from this graveyard, many would look down on it, especially the dragons of Imythess.--Although...the with the power of a dragon, I'd be one to reckon with...--He was torn whether or not to take one of these dead with him after he finished his research.

Walking along the bones in the area, he came across the skull of a white dragon. He kneeled down, placing the sheath of kilgorin gently on the acid. After hearing the sizzle, he withdrew the sword with the sheath. He looked at the sheath and noticed a chunk of material missing.* This acid is fresh...is it a chance that there are living amongst the dead? *He looked around, his eyes slowly falling into the darkness that he openly embraced. There were many dead around here, so finding the living would be quite simple.

A few minutes later, he noticed a spot where the bones were pushed aside but no sign of the dead.--There it is--His usual walk became a run, his cloak catching the wind, whipping behind him. He then came upon a black dragon, laying motionless on the floor. Not wanting to get near a unconcious dragon, he stood a yard away from it and called out.* Hey you! Black Dragon! I have a few questions for you! *had this draqon already died, he'd be able to get his answers, and if it was alive, he wouldn't, which meant it was alive. He waited there patiently for a response*

One eyelid lifted slightly, a soft silvery orb half showing from beneath it's black shield. She watched the human for a few moments, then her eye closed again.

She didn't move for a time, then reluctantly shifted, moving her head to stare at the Human. She gave him a blank stare for a few minutes, trying to decide wether he was A Problem. Her eyes didn't move now, staying focused on him.

Her definition of A Problem was someone who would try to kill her, or stab her, or otherwise do her harm. She moved one of her forelegs and brought herself up to a sitting position, her tail curling around her legs, and her wings pressing against her back.

At length she decided that it was possible that he was A Problem, but not one that was immediate, as the sword he carried was sheathed, and not out and pointed towards her. '...Not dangerous...No. Dangerous...Alive too.' Her mind was moving sluggishly, the stench was making it hard to think. '...Can't the human smell it? Maybe they can't...'

Her eyes scrunched tight, much like a young child might do if they refused to believe in something. She shook her head, in a desperate effort to clear it, then opened her eyes again.

"Yes?" One of Loki's eyes opened wider than the other, her own way of raising an eyebrow. As she was without this key feature for getting an emotion across.

I've been wondering a few things. But from the looks of ya, you don't look in any condition to hold a conversation...unless you'd rather prefer to be here. I'm an explorer learning all that I can about the dead--no one species left out, even the majestic dragons. I just have a few questions of this place, such as why do the dragons of Imythess and other regions come to this place to lay and rest, how was this place chosen out of many other resting grounds, and as a requst...I was wondering, with your permission of course if I could take a sample from this place?


*He looked at her for a moment, wondering why she would just lay there, almost accepting death. The dead he knew always rejected the reaper before their time was up. His master almost killed his undertaker, had it not been for Kore's quest, for it would be full of dead...ironically now this is where Kore trods, in a land full of skeletons. After he relaxed some, but still ready to defend himself, the stench of the land wafted into his nose and turned his stomach. He fell to one knee instantaneously. Making a fist, he slammed it into his stomach, forcing out his breakfast which lodged itself in his throat. He gasped and looked up to the black dragon again and realized that is why many die here--The stench drives them to death...I must leave here as soon as I get what I need...--

Loki watched quietly as the human asked her if it would be fine if he took a 'sample' from the graveyard. She tipped her head to the side, and felt the smell starting to take hold again. She narrowed her eyes, and moving her claw in a quick arc and muttering the words, the nausea faded back, and she could think clearly again.

She paused, and dug her claw in the small empty bit of ground, creating a small furrow. "I don't know if I can say that..." She murmured quietly, glancing at the human thoughtfully, wondering if he was going to run at her with the sword like the elders had said they were apt to do.

Finally she scowled, and looked up, "I would say you could, 's long as you don't take one of the Black Dragon Skeletons, but I don't have the age or the wisdom to make that decision." The small dragons' tail lashed angrily, and her eyes glittered. "If I was you," She continued, "I'd just take it once I head off."

She looked around. "And I don' know why everyone comes here. 'sppose it's instinct. Like, like what makes dwarves grow beards and wave axes 'bout." She gave a cold grin, showing a large number of teeth. "I shouldn' even be here...But I can come if I want to. 's a no-man's land if y'ask me."

*he nodded as the dragon complied with him. He thought this one would give him problems, but he guessed wrong. Still a little nausious(sp?), he managed to shake most of his fatigue away. When he rose to his feet, he ran his hand through his hair, then took in what she had to say.* So this place is a mass burial site which was chosen to be for your race, interesting indeed....

*he looked around as she said she didn't mind as long as it wasn't a black dragon's skeleton. As easy as it sounded, Kore had a hard time deciphering which skeletons belonged to which dragon.* Now how would I tell the difference between the type of dragon just by their bones? *with this added information that she might give him, he'd be able to identify the exact race of a bone dragon--in benefit to either destroy it or master it. A smile arose inside of him, his eyes sparkling some.*

"..." Loki watched the humans' eyes glitter. "The most obvious way to figure it out is to check if there are any scales scattered around nearby, or flesh on the bones, that still have scales attached."

She stood up carefully, and carefully moved towards a bare-boned skeleton. She carefully tapped the skull. "You can also tell by the type of horns, or the size of the skull and the rest of the skeleton. Some types of dragons are without horns, while others have a few, or even several." She sat down on her haunches, and continued, tail twitching. "White dragons tend to be smaller than most of the other types, at least when you're speaking of those whose type is not named after metal. I never really learned much about them, but then again, they don't bother learning about us."

Loki stood again, to stalk towards the human, and carefully and reverently motioned to a large skeleton with great curving horns on the side of it's head. "That is one of my kind, the Blacks," She murmured quietly. "Though most Dragons tend to have horns that curve somewhat, we Blacks have the most curved normally, though sometimes other types can have horns that are similar."

She paused, and her eyes narrowed. "And Mountain goats too. Bloody things." She coughed, then tapped the ground near the edge of a strange hole in the ground, that was right below the dead blacks' skeleton. "Sometimes there's seepage after death, and it can leave holes, scorch marks, wet spots, ice, and other things, depending on what type of dragon you happen to be dealing with."

*Kore nodded as the dragon gave him a lot of useful information. But alas, it was coming about time that he would have to depart to continue his research.* I has been a great pleasure having this conversation, and I thank you for the useful information. But I fear it is time for me to depart. *He bowed respectfully towards her* I bid you good day m'lady. *Kore cracked a sincere smile and began to walk the other way, looking for a good specimen to research.

As she had said, there were many indicators of a dead dragon's type, so searching for a certain specimen was not as difficult for Kore to find. He, for some reason, grabbed several skulls, one from a red dragon, a blue dragon, a green dragon, and a white dragon, but made sure to leave the black dragon skeletons as the one he just met said to.* Interesting, there is so many differences to these dragons as something as diverse as the feline species...if only I could take all the different types with me....alas I cannot for I gave her my word and that cannot be broken. *He slowly trudged through graveyard, wondering what special things he could derive from the marrow of the bones.

He then heard a rumbling on the ground. Something massive approachedm and it sounded like there were more than one. Kore slowed his paces, hooked the skulls on the same thing that he had for his demon claws as he put it on, then drew his two-handed sword, ready to fight whatever came his way.....but he could never expect what he was about to see.

***!!RUMBLE!!***Whoah...a...a...a bone dragon...no wait.....several of them...*He then looked at the features of the dragons, realizing they were all different types, Red, White, Green, Blue, and Black bone dragons stood about 300 meters from Kore, but knew of his presence...and did not approve of it. They all began converging on Kore without hesistation. Instinctively, Kore turned around and tried to reach the female dragon he was conversing with to ask for her help.* M'lady Black Dragon! I need you help! *His cries came with a sound of uneasiness. He wouldn't be able to control things as massive as those dragons, and for the first time in Kore's life...he feared he would die.*